There is no doubt that the world loves coffee. We drink and consume nearly 10 million tons of coffee every year, and this shows no signs of slowing down. People enjoy their coffee in many different ways from iced to whipped and everything in between. There is certainly a style or flavor of coffee for the taste of everyone.
In addition to different kinds of coffee being consumed, people often consume their caffeine in various different ways. Some go down to the local coffee shop for their fix, while others prefer to create their beverages at home using a stovetop espresso maker or another method.
Most people enjoy a cup of coffee when they wake up in the morning, as well as potentially a couple of times at work. However, are these truly the best times to be drinking coffee and consuming caffeine? Without any further ado, let’s look at the best times to drink coffee, according to science.
The Best Time of Day to Consume Caffeine
When many people wake up and get ready for work, one of the first things they do is to reach for the coffee pot. It provides them with the energy that they need to start their days and be productive at work. However, it turns out that mornings aren’t the best time for coffee.
The same goes for drinking coffee right after lunch and in the evening or night. In fact, the best times of the day to drink coffee are during the late morning before lunch, and during the mid-afternoon.
Why Are These The Best (and Worst) Times to Consume Caffeine?
So why are these the best and worst times to drink coffee? Well, it comes down to how caffeine reacts with our bodies. Let’s first begin by looking at why early morning coffee is a bad idea. See, our bodies operate according to a biological clock, called a circadian rhythm. This regulates our sleep and wake cycle.
In the morning, this rhythm orders that cortisol is produced in your body. This is a hormone that helps you be alert, wake up and generally prepare you for the day. Because of this, any caffeine consumed around the time of this initial cortisol production is largely wasted, as your level of alertness is already the highest it will be all day.
So while you don’t use the caffeine at all during these periods, you still develop a tolerance for it. The same goes for other peaks of our natural cortisol production, which are usually around lunch and supper.
Another bad time to consume caffeine is in the evening or night, while your cortisol production isn’t peaking, consuming caffeine late in the evening can often disrupt your sleep. Even if you can get to sleep after having caffeine, the sleep isn’t likely to be very deep.
As a result, this leaves the late morning before lunch and the mid-afternoon as the best times to consume caffeine. Having coffee within these windows will get you the best results and be the most productive.
In conclusion, we hope that this blog post has been able to show you the best time of day to consume caffeine, and why that’s the case.
10 million tons of coffeeecoffeestovetop espressoThe Best Time of Day to Consume CaffeineWhy Are These The Best (and Worst) Times to Consume Caffeine?
what do you think?